Morgan City Council raises auditorium rental fees

People who use Morgan City Municipal Auditorium can expect to pay more, but not until late next year.
The City Council voted Dec. 16 to raise the fees for renting the auditorium’s ballroom and other facilities, based on an operating loss and the higher rates charged by similar facilities nearby.
Also Dec. 16, the council accepted a check in lieu of taxes from the Morgan City Housing Authority and paved the way for using state funding to upgrade the city’s sewage treatment system.
The usual fourth-Tuesday meeting was moved up to accommodate the holidays.
The auditorium rates before and after council action:
•Ballroom rental was raised to $1,000 from $550.
•Rental for the East or West Concourses was raised to $400 from $300.
•Theater rental was raised to $550 from $350.
•Meeting room rental was raised to $200 from $150.
The new rates won’t affect customers who have already booked space at the auditorium into September.
Mayor Lee Dragna said the auditorium costs about $600,000 a year to operate. A 2-mill tax raises about $278,000, and rentals bring in another $100,000.
“We’re just short,” Dragna said.
Information collected for the meeting shows that the Barry B. Bonvillain Civic Center in Houma charges $2,500 for renting its Halls A and B and a base rate of $1,500 for rental of its theater.
The Warren J. Harang Municipal Auditorium in Thibodaux charges $2,500 for hall rental or 10% of any ticket sales, whichever is greater.
It’s not yet clear whether Morgan City will follow suit by charging for additional services, such as table setup, that other auditoriums make customers pay.
Also at the Dec. 16 meeting:
•The council accepted about $64,000 from the Housing Authority. The check, presented by authority Director Clarence Robinson, represents money the city would collect on conventional housing.
•The council authorized Dragna to enter an agreement with C.H. Fenstermaker and Associatess for work related to rehabilitation of the city’s sewer system.
After capital outlay approval from the Legislature, the city government is ready to put $3 million toward the project.
•The council passed a resolution of respect for Dale Hugh Hayes Sr. Hayes, a Morgan City native, who joined the National Guard and then the regular Army as a private. He saw combat in Korea and Vietnam. He retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Hayes enrolled in Loyola’s law school at age 42 and served as the Morgan City attorney for 25 years.
Hayes died Nov. 27.